It’s hard to imagine, but a seat closer to the action is not necessarily a good thing when it comes to hummingbirds.

They’re addicts, and addiction to a perceived scarce resource is an ugly game to watch up close.

These kids need sugar, and they don’t like to share.

Oh sure, a male and female can tolerate one another for a minute or two around the old watering holes. Where else can you meet people these days?

But when two or more males get a bit peckish and decide to head for a seat at the local bar at the same time, things happen alarmingly quickly.

They come in fast and without advance warning, like stealth drones on a mission. They DO NOT like to be crowded for elbow space and will not tolerate being rushed through their meal by punk Johnnys-come-lately.

Furtive sips are necessary, always on the lookup for the inevitable intruders. As soon as one is spotted, they zip into mid-air, puff themselves out into “check the pipes, dude!” mode and vibrate like peacocks in a turf war. It’s like watching two-inch helicopters in a classic dogfight.

Truthfully, the little peckers are making me nervous. I’m afraid I’m going to get caught in a fly-by shooting and lose an eye, which is what makes the appeal of this…

… so completely lost on me. Some people have serious thrill issues.

For me, trying not to lose a full tumbler of a refreshing adult beverage while being dive-bombed by outraged needle-nose fliers with low-blood sugar is close enough, thank you very much.

Don’t put red food die in the feeder; it slowly poisons them and will eventually kill them if their bodies can’t got rid of it. I read an article on them a while back. They also happen to be very territorial, although it’s mainly with other hummies.
Sandi

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